Cleaning Wood Floors

[cosmosgrrl]

We just pulled some nasty old wall-to-wall carpeting out of our family room and discovered gorgeous hardwood floors underneath. My guy has just finished fixing 'em up, but now I have no idea how to clean them. I've swept with a regular bristle broom and used a dust mop, but what about sticky spills or mud, or just general wet/damp cleaning?

[Craft Forums]

[Danielle]

Congratulations with your commitment to the wood floors..lol I've had wood floors for about 7 years..gotta keep them clean! I vaccuum the floors every 2 days and really clean the floor..moving all the furniture about every 3 months or when we have a party. Orange glo works great and keeps the floor clean you mop it on..nice clean orange smell target and linen n things have it!Swifters suck and make your floor sticky it leaves a film on it too. If you wet/damp clean it make sure you dry tack it..water will kill the floor! Make who ever leaves mud on the floor clean it up themselves so they take off their dirty shoes when they come in! My dog stays on a little rug by the door to have her paws dried off before she walks though the house...sweet training! Good luck to you!

[kissmyknitz]

I use swiffer (dry) and never feel a film, couldn't live without them. They have wet Swiffers too, and I use them only occassionally. If there is a mess, I use a damp -- not wet! -- paper towel, and then dry it completly. Water is your floor's enemy... Do NOT use Pledge or whatever brand wood polishing cloths, they will made it so slippery you could fall!! no kidding...

[Knits4Fun]

I vacuum then go around with Swiffer wet jet. I don't find they leave a film.

Occasionally, I also use the dry, deep-groove Swiffers too, but I mostly use the dry Swiffers just to dust with.

hey! I bought a hoover floormate a while back. I LOVE it because it cleans then squeegies right away, so no moisture is left to seep into the wood. I found mine for 99.00 at value city. Because I have dogs who like to run right through newly cleaned floors it has saved me much re-cleaning...

[Slinkster]

I love my Bissell Flip-It.

My hard wood floors are old and not completely finished, some of the gloss is gone. Swiffers don't work very well on the floor because the wood soaks up the wetness....now, if your floors are completely refinished, Swiffer is probably your best bet.

Um...don't use pledge...And don't even dare ask me how i know.

[brdgt]

Hard wood floors are a deal breaker for me with apartments, carpets are havens for allergens. I find them the easiest thing in the world to keep clean. I swiffer once a week or so for dust bunnies and if something happens (usually one of the cats with a hairball) I just use a damp paper towel.

[cosmosgrrl]

Thanks for all the lovely advice folks! And especially for the word of warning about Pledge! I dry-swiffered (God, I love that word for some reason -- swifferswifferswiffer) last night, and didn't really find the need to do any damp cleaning. So far, so good!

Patty

[kohuether]

We have wood floors. Our cleaning lady wets a cloth very slightly and puts white vinegar on it and gives the floor the once over by hand. That's it! Then, every few years, you are supposed to get a polyeurothene coating.

[Kay Burton]

nice thread!